IAEA Denies Watering Down Standards in Iran Probe

The UN nuclear watchdog’s chief denied on Monday that his agency had watered down its standards in an investigation into past Iranian activities after Israel accused it of “capitulation to Iranian pressure.”
The dispute centers on the International Atomic Energy Agency’s investigation into the origin of uranium particles allegedly found at three undeclared Iranian sites.
“We never ever, never ever water down our standards. We stand by our standards, we apply our standards,” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told a news conference when asked about unusually strong criticism of his agency levelled by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, Reuters reported.
In a report to member states last week, Grossi said Iran had given an explanation for depleted uranium traces at one site, known as Marivan—the presence of a mine and laboratory operated by a country that diplomats said was the Soviet Union.
The report said Iran had provided a “possible explanation ... Therefore, the agency at this time has no additional questions on the depleted uranium particles detected at ‘Marivan’ or on the location, and the matter is no longer outstanding at this stage.”
Netanyahu contended that Iran’s explanation was “technically impossible”.